The Lives of Others - A-

In theaters. R rated, 137 minutes.
(To be released on DVD June 26, 2007)

The Lives of Others is a powerful film about duty, honor and character. Set in East Berlin in 1984, it is both a study of communism and western freedoms and a study of the human condition under such oppression. The story centers around Gerd Wiesler, a diligent and seeminlgy soulless German Stasi (Secret Police) agent trained in espionage and interrogation. He is charged with spying on Georg Dreyman, a respected writer whose girlfriend is the object of affection of a high ranking East German official Bruno Hempf.

Dreyman is not an agitator and is comfortable in his role as a writer whose content is muzzled by the government and chooses not to express his anti-government sentiments in order to keep himself from being imprisoned. Wiesler initially pursues his charge forcefully and without remorse, as a good 'comrade.' As he gets drawn into the lives of Dreyman and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Marie Sieland, Wiesler slowly undergoes a transformation. He is a man of duty, honor, and sacrifice for the good of the country, and he is beginning to question the system that he has dedicated his life to. He lives in a bleak solitude, which the director often juxtaposes against the rich and full life lived by Dreyman and Sieland. I won't give away the rest of the story, because I hope the readers will see it.

Each of the actors put in powerful performances, especially Ulrich Muhe as Wiesler. His understated performance is the anchor of the movie. This is a highly intelligent, emotionally satisfying movie with a sophisticated and interesting script.

Most of what I have read about this movie mentions its meaning relative to the US wiretapping program. After seeing the movie myself, such an extrapolation is clearly ridiculous. The primary message of the film is the power of freedom and the evils of an oppressive government. Other themes in the movie are love, isolation, insecurity, and sacrifice.

This film won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, 2006. It is now #5 on my 2006 list (see my profile for the rest).

Favorite scene: The last scene of the movie, in the Karl Marx Bookstore.